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Former Air Force coach joins staff

Buzz Williams had one more staff opening to fill and he did it Saturday with the hiring of former Air Force head coach Jeff Reynolds.

Reynolds will also be the Golden Eagles' director of basketball operations.

Jerry Wainwright, former head coach at DePaul and UNC-Wilmington, was serving in the role of operations director. Wainwrigt will devote his attention to coaching duties for the rest of the season.

"We are very thankful that Coach Reynolds has agreed to fill the position thru the academic year," Williams said. It's extremely uncommon to have an opportunity like this, to hire someone with his experience and knowledge at this late of a date.

"His hiring obviously strengthens our team for the 2012-13 season, while also giving us the flexibility to decide at the end of the year what is best, relative to our staff, on the direction for everyone to go at that point."

Williams lost all three of his assistants from last season.

Reynolds was the head coach at Air Force for five years and an assistant with the Falcons for two.

He was fired last February after the Air Force AD told him he had lost the team and that the players were having no fun.

The Golden Eagles will play what amounts to their season opener Sunday against Colgate at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Tip time is 3:30 p.m.

About Michael Hunt

Michael Hunt is a former sports columnist and reporter for the Journal Sentinel.